Chapter Five

"Don't worry about Max, sweetheart," Jerry said as he walked into the labor room. "I called one of his friend's moms, and she agreed to pick him up." He rubbed Audrey's back gently. "I just told them you were at the hospital. I didn't say why."

"So you're ashamed of your child?" Fletcher accused the other man. Audrey's grip on his hand was remaining as firm as ever. He turned to her. "It's really ok," he told her. "I'll support you and the baby, even if it isn't mine."

Audrey simply glared at both of them. She had managed to tune their bickering out on the way over in the ambulance. Where was that nurse with her damn epidural already? She had been in this hospital for well over an hour now. What could be taking this long? The only thing that was going right in this intensely awkward situation was the fact that she was in a private labor room. She could not bear the thought of anyone else overhearing them.

One woman finally entered the room. She was dressed in a nurse's uniform, but Audrey did not recognize her as one of the three nurses who had been checking up on her.

"Did your shift just start?" she asked.

The woman shrugged as she walked over to Audrey. In her hand, she had a small cup of ice chips. "You can say that," she said. "I'm Anya, honey. You just tell me what you need. It doesn't matter how ridiculous it sounds. You're in labor." Anya hated the sweetness in her voice, but if it was a way to coax a wish out of this woman, she was all for it.

"Besides an epidural?" Audrey complained.

"Honey, I spoke to the doctor," Jerry informed her. "You're too far along for an epidural. I'm sorry."

Audrey groaned as she flopped back on the bed. She frowned as she looked at her stomach. Had it grown since the ambulance ride? It certainly looked larger.

Fletcher rolled his eyes at Jerry. "That's crap," he said. "Audrey, I'll go find you a doctor who will do it, ok?"

"I think I know what's best for her," Jerry argued.

"Clearly not," Fletcher rebutted. "You haven't seen this woman give birth without drugs. It's not a pretty sight."

As the two men started fighting yet again, Audrey turned to Anya. "Any way to make them shut up?" she asked.

Anya shrugged. "What'd you have in mind?" she asked. "It's all up to you."

"Well, I will need one of them here," she said. She tensed up as she felt another contraction hitting her. They were getting pretty close together now. She had a feeling that she would be giving birth within the hour. "Ok," she said once it was over. "I just wish whichever one of them is not the father would go away. Just go stay the hell away from me." She shrugged. "Maybe it could be a dog. I bet Max would like that."

Anya's face morphed into her demonic one as she uttered the two words that freaked Audrey out even more: "Wish granted." Right after that, Jerry disappeared. Audrey thought she heard a woofing sound. Then Anya was gone. Audrey shrieked again, which caught Fletcher's attention.

"Audrey, what is it?" he asked her. He then took another look at her stomach. Now it was definitely bigger. "Oh," he said softly. "Don't worry, honey," he said. "I'll get a doctor, and we'll work through this. I've heard having a C-section is a lot more common now. It's perfectly safe."

As he pushed the call button, he couldn't help but wonder if Audrey was actually giving birth to a baby. It looked more like the size of a toddler now.